Big Pharma Expresses Interest in Medical Cannabis

At least once a week, Steve McDonald drives from his home in Irvine to an industrial stretch of Santa Ana filled with auto shops and home-improvement wholesalers.

Inside a beige storefront, McDonald consults with young budtenders about the jars of raw cannabis flowers and rows of infused edibles that fill the shelves at From the Earth medical marijuana dispensary.

The 40-year-old said cannabis products help him avoid prescription medications for pain from severe burns he suffered in a fire two years ago, as well as lingering back trouble and anxiety that plague him from his days as a paratrooper in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

“Some days are better than others,” he said. “Cannabis isn’t a cure-all … But it has a lot of benefits – more than negatives.” [Read more at OC Register]